Media content processing techniques for rights and clearance management

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved techniques to process and manage media content and associated intellectual property rights associated with the media content. Intellectual property rights associated with media content can include copyright, trademarks, licenses to composition, synchronization, performance, recordings, etc. In particular, various embodiments provide media licensing management and monetization based on media licensing using a centralized registry of media content and associated asset rights.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/382,660, filed Apr. 12, 2019, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/657,493, filed Apr. 13, 2018, each of which are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Advancements in technology are constantly influencing and evolving themusic and media content industry, not only in how music is distributedand stored, but also how it is created. While traditional instrumentscan produce analog music that can then be recorded, converted to adigital format to be stored and distributed electronically, music cannow also be created digitally from its conception. Many users compileand mix various music samples digitally for distribution as their ownmusic, which can raise a problem in determining the appropriatelicensing rights associated with the music samples used in mixes. Withthe convenience and ease of portable digital music players, smartphones,cloud computing, and seemingly infinite digital libraries of music,there is an increased need in the industry to distribute media digitallyand electronically while preserving all the associated licensing rights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment in which various embodiments can beimplemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a media contentprocessing systems with a media content database in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example flow diagram of a technique for processingmedia content in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of portions of a mediacontent processing system according to various embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a technique for processingmedia content in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of identified segments of media content inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of identifying segments of media contentin accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example overview block diagram of a portion of amedia content processing system in communication with other mediacontent entities in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example flow diagram of techniques for identifyingsegments in media content in accordance with various embodiments

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow diagram of techniques for processingsegments in media content in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example flow diagram of techniques for managingrules associated with segments in the media content in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example flow diagram of techniques for providingan asset estimate associated with segments in media content inaccordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow diagram of a computer-implementedtechnique of processing media content in accordance with variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure may overcome one or more of the aforementioned andother deficiencies experienced in conventional approaches to distributemedia content digitally and manage associated intellectual propertyrights in a secure, immutable, efficient, and automatic manner.Intellectual property rights associated with media content can includecopyright, trademarks, licenses to composition and/or recording,synchronization, performance, recordings, etc. In particular, variousembodiments provide improved techniques of managing media content usinga centralized, automated registry to process media content, identifysegments of media content, and determine associated rights with thesegments of media content.

Music creation has undergone exponential growth giving rise to a newwave of creators, musicians, remixers, and curators. In the last 80years, the music industry has recorded and registered 5 million hours ofnew music. In comparison, every two months, the DJ community creates 5million hours of newly recorded music. The DJ community consists ofmusicians and individual users or consumers, and their music generallyinvolves sampling, mixing, modifying, and compiling snippets of othermusic created by other artists. The music created by the DJ communitycan be referred to as user-generated content (UGC), or UGC mediacontent. With the advent of the internet and digital media processing,UGC has exploded because users can now easily create their own music andvideos. Currently, users upload about 20,000 tracks of music per day onSpotify™, compared to 260,000 tracks of music uploaded by users onSoundCloud™ and 2,600,000 tracks of music uploaded by users on YouTube™.Outside of YouTube™, music services are not equipped to properly handleUGC.

The technical problems in handling UGC include first the identificationof sampled music in UGC, for example, in determining what masterrecording and master compositions are being sampled within the UG music.Second, once the music sampled has been identified, then the multiplerights holders and their corresponding associated rights may be notifiedin advance of distribution. Lastly, the internet has posed a territorialproblem in the distribution of the music, as there are many complexitiesand different laws associated with access to media content and crossrights-by-territory. Embodiments of the present invention centralize UGCto give DJs, users, rights holders, and distributors an accessibleplatform to manage their music and rights in an improved, user-friendly,intuitive, efficient, and secure manner. Embodiments of the presentinvention provide the digital media processing technology, rightsmanagement database, and user-friendly interfaces to allow users tocreate new mix and remix distribution and monetization opportunitiesbuilt on transparency, ownership control, and simplicity.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an environment 100 for implementingaspects in accordance with various embodiments. Although a Web-basedenvironment is used for purposes of explanation, different environmentsmay be used, as appropriate, to implement various embodiments. Anelectronic client device 102 can include any appropriate device operableto send and receive requests, messages, or information over anappropriate network 104 and convey information back to a user of thedevice; examples of client devices include personal computers, cellphones, portable music players, tablets, laptops, electronic bookreaders, etc. The network can include any appropriate network, includingan intranet, the Internet, a cellular network, a local area network, orany other such network or combination thereof. Protocols and componentsfor communicating via such a network can be enabled by wired or wirelessconnections, and combinations thereof. In this example, the networkincludes the Internet, as the environment includes a Web server 106 forreceiving requests and serving content in response to the requests,although for other networks and other devices could be used as would beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The illustrative environment includes at least one application server108 and a plurality of resources, servers, hosts, instances, routers,switches, data stores, and/or other such components defining what willbe referred to herein as a data plane 110. Resources of this plane arenot limited to storing and providing access to data, but there can beseveral application servers, layers, or other elements, processes, orcomponents, which may be linked or otherwise configured, to interact andperform tasks such as obtaining data from an appropriate data store. Theterm “data store” refers to any device or combination of devices capableof storing, accessing, and retrieving data, which may include anycombination and number of data servers, databases, data storage devices,and data storage media, in any standard, distributed, or clusteredenvironment. The application server provides admission control servicesin cooperation with the data store, and may be able to generate contentsuch as text, graphics, audio, and/or video to be transferred to theuser, which may be served to the user by the Web server in the form ofHTML, XML, or another appropriate structured language in this example.In some embodiments, the Web server 106, application server 108 andsimilar components may be part of the data plane. The handling of allrequests and responses, as well as the delivery of content between theclient device 102 and the application server 108, can be handled by theWeb server.

The data stores of the data plane 110 can include several separate datatables, databases, blocks, blockchains, or other data storage mechanismsfor storing data relating to processing media content and managinglicensing rights associated with the media content. For example, thedata plane illustrated includes mechanisms for storing media contentdata 112 and user information 116, which can be used to receive,process, store, and serve media content. The data plane also is shown toinclude a mechanism for storing log data 114, which can be used forpurposes such as reporting, analysis, and determining the chain ofcustody for media content. It should be understood that there can bemany other aspects that may need to be stored in a data store, such asfor access right information, which can be stored in any of theabove-listed mechanisms as appropriate or in additional mechanisms inthe data plane 110. The data plane 110 is operable, through logicassociated therewith, to receive instructions from the applicationserver 108 and obtain, update, or otherwise process data, instructions,or other such information in response thereto. In one example, a usermight upload UGC. In this case, components of the data plane mightaccess the user information to verify the identity of the user, processthe UGC, and access the media content catalog detail information toobtain information about the UGC and determine associated licensingrights with the media content identified in the UGC. The informationthen can be returned to the user, such as in a results listing on a Webpage that the user is able to view via a browser on the user device 102,showing the identified media content in the UGC, the rights holders ofthe media content, and licensing information associated with the mediacontent. Information for the media content of interest can be viewed ina dedicated page or window of the browser.

The environment in one embodiment is a distributed computing environmentutilizing several computer systems and components that areinterconnected via communication links, using one or more computernetworks or direct connections. However, it will be appreciated by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that such a system could operate equallywell in a system having fewer or a greater number of components than areillustrated in FIG. 1 . Thus, the depiction of the system 100 in FIG. 1should be taken as being illustrative in nature, and not limiting to thescope of the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the media content processing system may include acentralized registry that contains the digital assets, such as thelicensing rights, along with associated metadata. Advanced contentidentification technologies may be implemented to unravel thecomplexities of derivative works of media content whose rights holdershave been identified. Local licensing nodes may enable individual rightsholders to access data and establish rules. The media content processingsystem may provide a global exchange that networks and connects allnodes together enabling cross-rights holder content licensing andclearance. Rights holders and content creators can manage their mix andremix catalogs efficiently across music services. In some embodiments,the media content processing system may also include a marketplaceproviding media service providers and rights holders a seamlessone-click approach to program approvals and the required cataloglicensing. Rights holders may be able to choose where their content isdistributed and how they generate revenue through digital assets, suchas composition rights, recording rights, performance rights,synchronization rights, etc. The media content processing system allowsrights holders to be in control of where media content is distributed,while allowing media service providers to offer pricing models andrevenue splits that suit their business.

According to embodiments of the present application, the media contentprocessing system may create an offer, for example, a media contentservice provider may offer per stream or revenue share pricing modelsdirectly to rights holders. Subsequently, the rights holders may reviewoffers. Rights holders may be able to review the program details,including revenue splits, territory splits, and guaranteed minimums.After reviewing the offers, the rights holders may choose to acceptoffers. Rights holders accept the pricing models that work best for themand content is distributed.

These transactions may be performed with the security, consistency, andtransparency of a centralized database and media content managementsystem. Advantages of using various embodiments described herein toconduct media content and digital asset processing include a centralregistry of media content registration information (e.g., mixes/remixes)that is secure and automated. The centralized registry may alsoautomatically determine rights ownership and association with the mediacontent, which can be determined using a repository of business rulesfor use and distribution. Additionally, a marketplace for financialterms and program details/approvals can include clearance, distribution,consumption and royalty information, real-time digital walletinformation, reporting and payments on scheduled intervals or in realtime.

An environment such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 can be useful forvarious content providers or other such entities, wherein multiple hostsand various types of resources might be used to perform tasks such asserving content, authenticating users, allocating resources, orperforming any of a number of other such tasks. Some of these hosts maybe configured to offer similar functionality, while other servers mightbe configured to perform at least some different functions.

According to various embodiments, the media content processing systemmay include a media content database and a media content processingmodule. In another embodiment, the media content database and mediacontent processing module may be separate independent entities; forexample, the media content database may be independently operated from,but in communication with, the media content processing system. Themedia content database according to embodiments of the presentapplication may include several key subsystems.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a media contentprocessing system with a media content database in accordance withvarious embodiments. The media content processing system with mediacontent database 200 may include several components. The media contentprocessing system may include mix/remix registry components 202. DJs, DJmanagers and other content suppliers may be set up with an account withthe media content database and/or media content processing system 200.Mixes and remixes may be uploaded/ingested using a dashboard.Distribution preferences (music services, timing, exclusivity, etc.) maybe configured during the submission process. In addition, all mixes andremixes may each be registered with a unique media content Mix ID.

The media content processing system may include rights holder databaseof copyright information (recordings and compositions) components 204.The rights holder database may be a part of the media content database.Labels, distributors and publishers may be set up with an account in themedia content database. Catalogs consisting of factual metadata andcopyright information may be ingested into the media content database.Master recordings may be fingerprinted (if necessary) to ensure they canbe identified in mixes and remixes by the media content processingsystem or module. Rights holders usage and distribution rules may be setup automatically during ingestion using various messaging protocols, forexample, Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) Electronic Release Notification(ERN) protocol (which can be used to deliver and communicate ownershipand usage details for a commercial music catalog, such as authorizedterritories, use in ad-supported vs subscription music services,interactive and non-interactive user interactions, etc.), and DDEXSingle Resource Release (SRR) protocol (which can be used to deliver andcommunicate whether a song in a commercial catalog delivered using DDEXERN can be available for use within UGC derivative works, such as DJmixes and remixes). Rights holder may be able to set up additional usageand distribution rules in the media content database through adashboard.

The media content processing system may include Digital Service Provider(DSP) programs 206. Music services may create program details they wantto include mixes and remixes. Rights holders may be notified of newprograms with financial details. Rights holders may accept or decline toallow their catalogs to be used in mixes and remixes distributed tothese programs. The media content processing system may include themedia content recognition technology components 208. Mixes and remixesmay be run through the media content processing system and therecognition technology components to identify the songs (tracks/titles)in them. Media content metadata (track/title list details) can becreated for each mix and remix. For mixes, song start/end locationswithin the mix may be included. Mixes can be reviewededitorially/manually, as needed. The media content processing system mayinclude mix/remix business rule clearance components 210. Identifiedsongs (tracks/titles) within a mix/remix may be associated with rightsholder copyright information. Songs may be verified against rightsholder specified usage and distribution rules (if any exist for thosesongs). Mixes and remixes may then be cleared, blocked or put in apending state. DJs may be informed of mix clearance status. The mediacontent processing system may include distribution components 212.Cleared mixes and remixes may be issued ISRCs to make them available forcommercial use. Cleared mixes and remixes may be distributed to musicservices using DDEX or proprietary protocols. In addition, because thesame or other DJs may use the same song, title, or track in differentmixes, with different durations or stylistic changes to the originalsong, title, or track, it may become a new work. As a result, the samesong, title, or track can be issued a different ISRC from the originalmaster. This is because each such song, title, or track may be a in adifferent style, may have a different duration, and may use differingportions of the song, title or track. Media content metadata informationcontaining information about the original master recordings can beincluded. Additionally, the media content processing system may includeroyalty reporting and settlement components 214. Music services mayprovide consumption and financial reports for streamed mixes and remixesper territory. A system to track all newly issued ISRCs for songsegments within mixes may be needed to ensure proper attribution ofstreaming data and royalties. Because each mix may contain more than 25songs, for example, the system may need to keep track of all mappingsbetween the newly created ISRCs for song segments and their originalmaster sound recordings and compositions on which the song segments arebased. This may be done in order to ensure correct attribution to therightful owners. The media content database may generate per territoryreports for rights holders. The media content database may automaticallymake payments to rights holders and DJs. Although the components areillustrated herein are shown as being part of a particular system orcomponent, it should be understood that the components can be a part ofone or more other systems or components without departing from the scopeand spirit of the invention.

The media content processing system 200 may implement an improvedtechnique to process media content that involves several processes. Forexample, the media content processing system may perform a generalcontent clearance. In a general content clearance operation, mixes andremixes may be submitted into the media content database by DJs, DJmanagers or other content suppliers with intent to have it cleared fordistribution to multiple music services. The media content may betreated differently from content provided by media services providers(e.g., music service providers) who obtained mixes and remixes directlyfrom DJs and DJ managers, because the music services providers wouldlike to have it cleared only for distribution by them, and not any othermedia services providers or other entities. However, embodiments of theinvention provide methods that allow the media content to be retained asprivate content. In addition, the media content can also be submitted byother software, hardware or platforms that DJs and/or producers use tocreate mixes and/or remixes, by integrating the media content processingsystem capabilities, as disclosed herein, through an external API. Forexample, a DJ creating a mix or remix using Pioneer DJ hardware withSerato software, or using Native Instruments hardware and software, maypress a button (or provide other such input) that enables softwareand/or hardware to interface directly with the media content processingsystem, as disclosed herein, to submit the mix or remix fordistribution.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example flow diagram of a technique for processingmedia content in accordance with various embodiments. For example, at302, a mix or remix can be submitted to the media processing system bythe DJ or the DJ manager for general clearance and distribution to allselected music services by the DJ or DJ manager. DJs, DJ managers orother content suppliers may upload content into the media contentdatabase through authenticated user accounts. Uploads may include audiofiles (such as FLAC, WAV, .mp3) and optional data (such as track listsgenerated by DJ software). According to some embodiments, third partiesmay bulk upload into the media content database using API described inthe next section (in development).

At 304, an upload may be tagged and uniquely registered within the mediacontent database with a unique identifier, for example, Mix ID. Uploadedmixes or remixes may be processed by the media content processing systemor module and segments of the underlying tracks or songs may beidentified. Identified songs or tracks for the segments may beassociated with the rights holder copyright information, if available inthe media content database.

At 306, business rules for each rights-holder type (if available) may beassociated with a mix or remix and applied to validate if the mix orremix can be distributed. At 308, if there are no rules that preventcontent from distribution, a mix or a remix may be cleared. This may bedone by analyzing each song segment for authorized distribution intoeach territory. The challenge solved and uniqueness of the systemdisclosed herein may be that it is able to handle situations in whicheach song segment has different rights holders in different territories,each possibly having their own set of restrictions. Each song segmentmay also have one or more publishers representing all of the composersand writers who own the rights to the melody and lyrics of any song,title, or track. Some songs, titles, or tracks may have 5 or 10 or morecomposers and writers. Each of the composers and writers or a group ofthem may be represented by different publishers in different parts ofthe world. The system, as disclosed herein, analyzes each territory'sownership, all the restrictions, and identifies if and where the mix orremix can be distributed based on the most common denominator. If even asingle right holder business rule prevents it from being distributed amix or a remix may be blocked. According to various embodiments, themedia content database may have a content clearance policy with apredetermined threshold. For example, for a 100% clearance policy, evenif one rights holder does not approve their content to be distributed ina mix/remix or if a song is identified and a rights holder is not known,the mix/remix will not be cleared for distribution. In otherembodiments, other thresholds may be set, for example a more than 50%clearance policy. Subsequently, status and compliance instructions maybe sent to the uploading party.

At 310, a standard commercial identifier (ISRC) may be assigned to eachmix or remix and is associated with the unique Mix ID also assigned toeach mix/remix. At 312, mixes and/or remixes may be delivered to musicservices using DDEX ERN or proprietary protocols, along with the ISRC,mix/remix metadata, mix/remix artwork, metadata for the song the remixis based on, and (when requested) media content metadata details (e.g.,the underlying track information) within the mix. At 314, music services(DSPs) may report consumption data per territory for all mixes andremixes distributed to them, for each subscription type. The mediacontent processing system may generate reports for rights holder perterritory, per subscription type. In some embodiments, at 314, the mediaprocessing system may also manage the payment of royalties to underlyingrights holders and DJs

In another embodiment, the media content processing system may implementa private content clearance. Some music services may want to use themedia content database to register and clear content that is intended tobe used only by that music service and not made available fordistribution to others. For that reason, this content may be designatedand identified as private, and this type of customers as Private DSPs.However, volumes for this use case will be much higher than what may besubmitted by a single DJ or a DJ manager, and that an API will berequired instead of submitting through a dashboard. As such, an API toallow music services to submit mixes and remixes in bulk may beimplemented in accordance with various embodiments of the invention,where the API is designed to provide the same type of capabilities asdescribed above for the general content.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of portions of a mediacontent processing system in accordance with various embodiments. Themedia content processing system 400 may include a media content registry402, which may contain information regarding media content, andcomputer-executable code to perform the following functions:

-   -   Restful JSON API;    -   Account Authorization/Validation (using OAuth 2.0);    -   Submit one or more mixes or remixes        -   File        -   URL;    -   Include history file with tracklist info;    -   Return media content metadata (e.g., tracklist info) for        submitted mix or remix;    -   Return clearance status for submitted mix or remix, with the        following statuses:        -   Cleared (e.g., rights holder known for all identified            content and there are no rules that block it)        -   Blocked (e.g., rights holder known for all identified            content and there are rules that block it)        -   Pending (e.g., rights holder not known for all identified            content); and    -   Provide updates, corrections and takedowns to previously        submitted content.

The media content processing system or module may implement aproprietary recognition technology 404 that identifies underlyingsongs/sound recordings (tracks/titles) used in mixes and remixes. Thistechnology may use a multi-phased approach utilizing both audiofingerprinting and text metadata recognition, as well as patternanalysis and heuristics to enhance music identification (as disclosed inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/288,857, filed Feb. 28, 2019,entitled “MEDIA CONTENT PROCESSING TECHNIQUES USING FINGERPRINTING ANDHEURISTICS”, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety). In some embodiments, the media content processing system mayhave an editorial method as the final stage on some mixes based onpopularity of the DJ, mix, external claims, etc.

Once the song segments (portions of the mix/remix each associated with asong/track/title) within a mix/remix are identified, the media contentdatabase 406 may then store them as individual media content metadata ofthe respective mix. Media content metadata may contain the tracklist ofsongs within that mix and relevant information about each song,including song name, artist name, album name (when available), ISRC(when available), etc. This information may then be used to associatethe songs to the rights holders' copyright information for this song(s)in order to clear them against available business rules, and toadminister royalty reporting and payments.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the media content database may communicate with theother components of the media content processing system, which mayorganize mixes and remixes into micro blocks (segments) of audio.Additionally, acoustic and textual fingerprinting technologies may beapplied to identify the segments of audio. The media processing systemmay also perform a pattern analysis and heuristics enhance theidentification operation. In some embodiments, media content experts(e.g., music researchers) may complete the media content processing, asnecessary. Lastly, information about the songs included in the mix/remixmay be included and stored in media content metadata.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a technique 500 forprocessing media content in accordance with various embodiments. As anexample, the media processing system may perform the following steps inidentifying the segments of media content submitted by the user:

-   -   At (502) Audio Fingerprint—break up the file into micro audio        blocks or segments (using history file when available in advance        to group the relevant sections), create fingerprints and query        fingerprint database for candidate matches;    -   At (504) Parse Matches—parse fingerprint candidate matches for        processing;    -   At (506) Validate Matches—scan parsed results for errors;    -   At (508) Analyze Matches—grade responses, use available text        data from history files to disambiguate candidate matches, and        note time values (duration, position);    -   At (510) Merge Matches I—analyze candidate match patterns,        identify tracks that are considered the same and merge them;    -   At (512) Purge Matches—scan the merged track for candidates that        are incorrect;    -   At (514) Merge Matches II—scan the track list again for more        merging candidates;    -   Optionally, a 2nd pass fingerprinting is performed—where steps        502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, and 514 may be repeated on        unmatched areas; and    -   At (516) Prepare Results—perform final analysis to merge tracks        and create media content metadata (e.g., MixDNA).

In some embodiments, the media processing of steps 500 may include aneditorial review. For example, music researchers may complete the mediacontent processing on popular DJs, mixes or due to claims. This may beachieved by reviewing the available tracklist details for each songsegment within the mix.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of identified segments of media content inaccordance with various embodiments. FIG. 6 shows a display of a userapplication 600 with mixes/remixes identified using the media contentprocessing system and media content database(s) as described herein. Forexample, unidentified sections of a mix/remix can be reviewed andmanually entered. Song segment duration and metadata can also bereviewed and adjusted. The results may then be stored in media contentmetadata. Tracklist details for each song segment within the mix orremix may be stored in media content metadata inside the media contentdatabase and may be distributed along with the mix or remix to musicservices, when requested by the music service. Within the media contentdatabase(s) a more detailed version may be stored, which includes notonly the final metadata about the master recordings(songs/tracks/titles) used in the mix/remix, but also all the candidatematches that were analyzed and contemplated before the final decisionwas made, the rights holder information, etc.

The version of media content metadata that is distributed to musicservices (e.g., when requested), along with the mixes and remixes, mayinclude the following information for each of the master recordings(songs/tracks/titles) in the mix/remix. For example:

-   -   Track name;    -   Artist name;    -   ISRC;    -   Start/end position within the mix;    -   Track # (e.g., when available); and    -   Track duration (e.g., when available).

This information may be provided to help music services display accurateinformation about the song when it is played within the mix/remix and toenable them to link it to their catalogs within the music service. Thelatter may enable use cases, such as allowing consumers to listen to thefull-length version of the tracks/titles or additional songs from thesame artist.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of identifying segments of media contentin accordance with various embodiments. As discussed above, segments ofUGC media content 702 (e.g., a mix/remix) submitted by a user, such as aDJ, may be identified using various fingerprinting and heuristicstechniques (as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/288,857,filed Feb. 28, 2019, entitled “MEDIA CONTENT PROCESSING TECHNIQUES USINGFINGERPRINTING AND HEURISTICS”, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety). The result 704 of processing suchsegments and media content may include, in part, a list of tracks,artists, times, and durations of media content 706 found to be presentwithin the UGC media content submitted by the user. In addition,identifying segments of media content may include several otherprocesses, including the application of a plurality of business rulescreated by rights holders per territory. The media content database(s)may provide rights holders control over usage and distribution of theircatalogs used within mixes and remixes. According to variousembodiments, there may be two ways for rights holders to set rules inthe media content database(s): automated and manual.

According to various embodiments, in automated rule setting, the mediacontent database(s) may be designed to use already created industrystandards to help rights holders automate the process and reduce theamount of work they have to do to create business rules. Using music asthe media content as an example, the DDEX ERN specification is anexample of industry standards. While the publishing community may nothave officially standardized DDEX ERN, the major record labels, largerIndie labels, and distributors have standardized the specification. DDEXERN includes territory rights, license information, and other rules thatlabels include in catalog feeds to music services. The media contentdatabase(s) may detect such rules during ingestion and apply themautomatically to recordings.

The media processing system may also provide a CWR and/or CSV filetemplate for labels and distributors who do not support DDEX ERNspecification and can make similar use of it to automate aspects of thebusiness rules creation. Publishers may also use CWR and CSV fileapproaches for business rules creation. Territory information andownership splits (percentage owned by a composer of a specificcomposition) may be automated using the business rules.

According to various embodiments, in the manual rule setting, the mediacontent database may also provide rights holders additionalcapabilities/controls within their account dashboards to set businessrules. Such capabilities/controls include:

-   -   Blacklist Control—globally blacklist artist, song, songwriter or        composition from use in mixes;    -   Territory Control—prevent rights holder music from being used or        distributed by territory;    -   Track Control—limit the number of instances rights holder music        can be used per mix;    -   Remix Control—control the use of songs within remixes;    -   Mix Control—control the use of songs within mixes;    -   Duration Control—control how much of the original song can be        used within a mix    -   DJ Control—blacklist DJs from using rights holder content; and    -   DSP Control—prevent rights holder music from being distributed        to service providers (e.g., DSPs).

According to various embodiments, the media content processing systemmay also perform clearance and distribution. As part of the clearanceprocess, the media content processing system may validate the mix/remix.Validation may include three key points that have to be satisfied inorder to validate the mix/remix and clear it for distribution. Thesepoints may be satisfied by answering the following inquiries: First, areall rights holders known for sound recordings used in the mix/remix?;Second, are there any business rules that prevent the mix/remix frombeing distributed?; and Third, if it is a mix, have we identified theminimum match duration?

Once the sound recordings (tracks/titles) used in mixes or remixes areidentified, the media content database may associate them with therights holder copyright information. The rights holder copyrightinformation may be used to see if there are any rules set by the rightsholders that prevent or limit distribution of mixes/remixes with theirmaster recordings (songs/tracks/titles).

In an embodiment, there may be three states, pertaining to the rules setby the rights holders, to which a mix/remix can be assigned. Thesestates include:

-   -   BLOCKED—If a business rule exists that prevents the mix from        distribution, it is marked as blocked and will not be        distributed to any music service, a specific music service, or a        territory;    -   PENDING—If a master recording is identified but the rights        holder information is not known to us, the mix/remix will be        marked as pending. Pending content is not distributed unless the        content clearance policy is satisfied (e.g., clearance satisfies        a threshold); and    -   CLEARED—If there are no business rules that block or limit the        mix from distribution, it is marked as cleared, an ISRC is        assigned and it is put in a queue for distribution.

However, if at any point business rules are changed, added or deleted,all registered mixes and remixes may be reassessed and their state maybe modified accordingly. Affected items that were previously distributedmay be issued takedowns with music services or updated information maybe provided, as needed. Items that were blocked previously may becleared as a result of rule changes.

Lastly, the durations for each identified song segment of the mediacontent (as discussed above with reference to the foregoing figures)within the mix/remix may be determined and added to get the totalduration for identified segment. If the total duration is equal to orgreater than the minimum required percentage of the overall mix/remixduration, the mix/remix may be eligible for distribution. In someembodiments, an editorial review may be performed, as needed, onmixes/remixes from popular DJs to ensure that they meet the minimumduration criteria to be distributed.

In distribution, according to various embodiments, uploaded mixes andremixes may be assigned an ISRC to allow them to be made availablecommercially and once cleared may be marked for distribution. Thedefault protocol for distributing mixes/remixes is DDEX ERN, asdiscussed above. This protocol includes delivery of the digital assets,the unique mix ID and ISRC, which may each be unique and which may beassigned to each mix or remix, any associated mix/remix metadata, andartwork. Territory rights, takedowns, corrections, and other supportedcommercial details may be communicated via DDEX ERN as well.

According to various embodiments, the media content processing systemmay also include reporting services. For example, music services may becontractually obligated to provide media content consumption reports inorder for the media content processing system to report and administerroyalties to the rights holders.

Unlike traditional royalty payments, whereby a play is tallied after abrief listener auditing period (e.g., usually 30-45 seconds), mix/remixroyalties may be calculated on blocks of time individual listeners haveactually listened to a mix/remix. As such, the media content processingsystem may modify its reporting from music services to track all playsto, e.g., a 1-second granularity. For example, music services may reportto the media content processing system all mix/remix plays persubscription type, per territory. For each mix/remix, a start and endtime of the mix/remix play may be included.

The media content processing system may utilize the media contentmetadata information to calculate how much of each song segment withinthe mix/remix (submitted to the media content processing system by theuser) was actually played by a DSP. All song segment plays for a songmay be added to get the total amount of time a song (track/title) wasplayed. That total amount of time may then be divided by an average songlength (e.g., by 4 minutes 20 seconds) to get the actual play counts,including any partial plays that are left over.

Once the length of each song segment used in the mix/remix (e.g., mediacontent) is known, the media content processing system may apply theappropriate asset estimation model. For example, a media content licensemay be considered the asset pertaining to the media content, and theasset estimation model may be based on values within the license.Alternatively, a media content intellectual property monetization toolmay be considered the asset pertaining to the media content, and theasset estimation model may be based on values within monetization tool.In addition, an agreed business model (e.g., per stream, per user, orrevenue share) may be applied to generate the required reports for therights holders, to compute the royalty payment amounts, and for paymentof the royalties. For example, a rights holder may get paid based on theportion of the played media content that they own out of the totalduration of a mix play, using the average song length, described above,to determine the number of song plays that the mix contained. As anotherexample, an asset estimate (i.e., value of an asset, such as a mediacontent license, to a rights holder) may be calculated based on theduration of portions of the Digital Streaming Provided (DSP) playedmedia content that the rights holder owns within the UGC media contentmix/remix played by the DSP, divided by an average media content length,similar to what is described above. This may be used to determine howmany media content plays (or portions thereof) the UGC media contentmix/remix contained. That number may be multiplied by a royalty rate todetermine the total value of the asset or a royalty payment due to therights holder.

Remixes may be treated in the same way as other sound recordings in amusic service (e.g., a DSP) and/or within the media content processingsystem. For example, 30-45 second sample plays of a remix may beallowed, for example, free of charge and without having to update thereporting, depending on music services (e.g., DSPs) existing agreementswith the rights holders. The media content processing system may processremix reports and administer royalty payments to the rights holders onbehalf of the music service.

According to various embodiments, the media content processing systemmay provide Secure Account Management services. The media contentprocessing system may also provide convenience for individuals andentire organizations to sign on to the media content processing systemplatform to administer their content. Each organization may have theirown dashboard (user interface that presents information), which may becustomized to their organization type, with relevant views, andfunctionality. Each organization also may have multiple roles (e.g.,member, admin, and/or owner), depending on the level of permissions thata user needs or is allowed to be assigned.

In addition, the Secure Account Management services, according tovarious embodiments, may allow for: 1) Self-managed DJs to upload theirown tracks, while a manager may be managing the catalog of several DJs,and to view reports on usage, consumption and revenue information; 2)Rights holders to have master accounts with the ability to assignmultiple logins with various permission tiers to manage their repertoireand business rules, to see account information, to perform variousinternal administrative tasks for their whole roster or specific labelsor publishers on their roster, and to view reports on usage, consumptionand revenue information; and 3) Music services to create new programoffers and financial terms for rights holders to approve or to managemultiple programs as bundles.

In another embodiment, the media content processing system may provideRights Holder Catalog Ingestion services. With such services, the mediacontent processing system may request information from rights-holderpartners in order to properly connect songs used in mixes and remixes tothe appropriate parties in order to accurately identify rights holdercontent and allocate/distribute royalty payments. Information may alsobe requested to manage and update business rules for compliance on atimely basis.

For example, standard commercial metadata may be delivered by labelsvia: 1) Full DDEX ERN, delivered directly through normal supply chain ora data aggregation partner (e.g., such as MediaNet); 2) Use of CSV orother file template if DDEX ERN is not supported; and/or 3) Direct phoneor email contact with account representatives can handle edge-caseadditions, takedowns, rights collision management, etc.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example overview block diagram 800 of a portion ofmedia content processing system 802 in communication with other mediacontent entities in accordance with various embodiments. Media contentprocessing system 802 may be in communication with one or more mediacontent databases 804. The media content database(s) 804 may store mediacontent, digital assets (e.g., media content licenses), metadatapertaining to digital content, among other such information pertainingto media content. The media content database(s) 804 may pass thisinformation as information provided for media content along withpossibly other information, as described above, to any portion of mediacontent processing system 802. In addition, any portion of media contentprocessing system 802, may communicate such information, along with theresults of media content processing (e.g. results relating tomixes/remixes with tracklists of song segments used in themixes/remixes), to DSPs 806, 808, and/or 810. Moreover, DSPs 806, 808,and/or 810 may pass information (e.g., reports, includingroyalty/revenue reports) back to any portion of media content processingsystem 802. Optionally, one or more backend provider(s) 812 may send orreceive information pertaining to media content to or from any portionof media content processing system 802.

As discussed above, various information pertaining to media content maybe sent between and among media content database(s) 804, any portion ofmedia content processing system 802, DSPs 806, 808, 810, and any otherbackend provider(s) 812. Examples of such information pertaining tomedia content (e.g., mixes/remixes) may include:

-   -   1. Song, artist and album names appearing during business rule        creation        -   a. Labels and publishers can only access and create rules            for songs, artist and albums in their respective catalogs;    -   2. Song and artist names that may be displayed in mix and remix        detail view pages, in the media content metadata (e.g.,        tracklist)        -   a. Information including start time within the mix        -   b. Information including end time within the mix        -   c. Labels, publishers and DJs/content creators are able to            view the tracklist details and suggest corrections to the            media content processing system to investigate and validate        -   d. Also displayed during playback;    -   3. Song, artist, genre, label, release date and key that may be        displayed in the “marketplace” section of a dashboard where        pre-cleared tracks and stems information may be displayed for        DJs/content creators to view (as used herein, stems are an open        multi-track audio format, and a stem file typically contains a        track split into four (or possibly more) musical elements such        as a drums stem, a bassline stem, a melody stem, and a vocal        stem, for example)        -   a. Stems may be included when provided;    -   4. Song and artist information available to the labels and        publishers, in mix/remix data exports, as part of the included        media content metadata (e.g., tracklist)        -   a. Includes start time within the mix        -   b. Includes end time within the mix        -   c. Mix/remix exports are available only to those labels and            publishers whose data is used in those mixes and remixes;    -   5. Song, artist, and ISRC information available in media content        metadata when mixes/remixes are delivered to DSPs.        -   a. Includes start time within the mix        -   b. Includes end time within the mix;    -   6. Song, artist, and ISRC information available in reports to        the labels and publisher        -   a. Includes territory played in        -   b. Includes total duration played        -   c. Include play counts        -   d. Limited only to catalogs owned by the label or publisher;            and    -   7. Reports        -   a. Number of streams per territory        -   b. Top DJs streamed with label content        -   c. Top mixes/remixes streamed with label content        -   d. Total duration        -   e. Revenue per territory        -   f. Revenue per DJ        -   g. Revenue per mix/remix        -   h. Revenue per song        -   i. Revenue per artist        -   j. Limited only to the catalogs owned by the label or            publisher        -   k. Limited only to content used within the mixes/remixes by            the DJ.

In order to provide security in the media content processing and relatedtransactions, the media content processing system may include aparticular set of media content database services as a part of mediacontent database(s) 804. The media content database services may bebuilt on a third-party platform (e.g., making uses of third-party mediacontent database(s) 804) and use the third-party's platform services andthus benefit from security measures built into third-party platforms.The media content database service may include, for example, networkfirewalls and web application firewall capabilities. The media contentprocessing system may create private networks and may strictly controlaccess to instances and applications (including those operating on themedia content processing system), for example, by utilizing securityfunctionality of third-party platforms. The media content databaseservice may include, for example, encryption for files in transit withtransport layer security (TLS) deployed across all media contentprocessing system services. The media content database service mayinclude, for example, encryption methods for any files at rest (storedin e.g., the media content database), e.g., implemented with third-partyplatform management services. As a security measure, all unused TCP/IPports may be closed and WAN access may be blocked. Further, an IP accesslist may be implemented and automatic blacklisting of IP addresses andusernames may be enabled. Yet further, access may be allowed onlythrough dedicated connections from locations specified by those managingthe media content database(s) and processing system. Additionally, IPwhitelisting may be enabled on each of the media content processingsystem servers. The media content database service may include, forexample, fully enabled built-in DDOS protection. The media contentdatabase service may include, for example, multi-factor authentication(MFO) enabled for all services in the media content database and/or asecurity token that may be generated upon every login attempt. The mediacontent database service may include, for example, security roles, loginlevels, and procedures. The media content database service may include,for example, alert notifications, e.g., for any potential securityissues, which may be provided using third-party platform services.

FIG. 9 illustrates example flow diagram 900 of techniques foridentifying segments in media content in accordance with variousembodiments. The media content processing system may perform a mixsubmission and identification process, in which the underlyingtracks/songs in the segments of the media content are identified, aswell as the rights holders associated with the tracks/songs. Theidentification of segments of media content (e.g., tracks and songs usedin mixes) may include audio fingerprinting and/or heuristic rules, andmay involve scanning at various lengths of segments. For example, withmusic, segments of tracks may be identified in increments of seconds tominutes long, and may depend on the entire length of the mix.

Flow diagram 900 may include several steps. At 902, a mix/remix may besubmitted by a user (e.g., a DJ) to one or more parts of a media contentprocessing system. At 904, the mix may be ingested and thusregistered/created with an application programming interface (API) inthe portions of the media content processing system, and a confirmationmay be sent back to the user. At 906, a record may be created, e.g., viathe API, in the media content database(s) with respect to the mix/remix,and a confirmation may be sent to the API. At 908, the mix/remix may bestored, e.g. via the API, in the media content database and aconfirmation may be sent to the API. At 910, the media contentprocessing system may process the mix/remix after being initiated, e.g.via the API, and a confirmation may be sent to the API. At 912, one ormore mix/remix fingerprints may be generated by a scanning process(e.g., by producing segments from the mix/remix, and analyzing thesegments via acoustical and/or textual and/or other processing). Inaddition, one or more media content databases (including third-partydatabases) may be searched using the mix/remix fingerprints todetermine, and send back to the media content processing system,metadata associated with the media content (songs/tracks/titles) in themix/remix. At 914, the metadata may be normalized (i.e., reduced to apredetermined standard form of metadata) using one or more normalizedmedia content databases (including third-party databases), and thenormalized metadata may be returned to the media content processingsystem. At 916, the normalized metadata, which may identify the one ormore songs/titles/tracks of media content in the mix/remix may be storedin one or more media content databases (which associates the metadatawith the mix/remix), and a confirmation may be sent to the media contentprocessing system.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow diagram 1000 of techniques forprocessing segments in media content in accordance with variousembodiments. The media content processing system may perform a mixvalidation and clearance, in which the segments in the UGC media contentare validated and cleared for the user to use within the UGC mediacontent (e.g., mix/remix) for each territory that the mix may beeligible for, for example, based on the overlap of available territoriesfrom each song segment. In some embodiments, a user may submit aproposed list of existing media content (e.g., tracks/titles belongingto another rights holder) of which the user intends to use segmentswithin his or her UGC media content (e.g., mix/remix). As such,clearance may be performed before creation or use of such segments ofmedia content (e.g., songs/tracks/titles belonging to another rightsholder). For example, a DJ may submit to the media content processingsystem a proposed list or tracks or songs that the DJ intends to use ina mix or remix. The media content processing system may then run aclearance on the tracks and provide a licensing estimate for the DJ toreview prior to creating a permanent record of the mix/remix oruploading media content to the media content processing system. As such,the user may modify which segments of media content (e.g.,song/tracks/titles) to use in creating his or her UGC media content.

Alternatively, clearance may be performed after a user has uploaded theUGC media content to the media content processing system but beforedistribution of the UGC media content. When the clearance of the UGCmedia content satisfies a threshold, the UGC media content may becleared for distribution upon the user approving and paying the assetestimate (e.g., licensing or royalty payment plan). For example, a usersuch as a DJ may upload a mix that uses segments from a number oftracks. The media content processing system may identify the rightsholders of all the tracks used in the mix, determine which tracks arecleared and the associated licensing fees, and then notify the user. Insome cases, the media content processing may identify the tracks thatwere not cleared to the user.

In flow diagram 1000, at 1002, an uploaded mix/remix may be processed bythe media content processing system to produce normalized metadata(pertaining to the tracks/titles used in the mix/remix), which may betransmitted to one or more of the other components of the media contentprocessing system. At 1004, the media content processing system mayrequest, from one or more rules databases (which may be a part of theone or more media content databases or separate entities), validationrules and may receive from the database(s) a validation rules list. At1006, the media content processing system may request, from one or morerules databases, distribution rules and may receive from the database(s)a distribution rules list. At 1008, the media content processing systemmay request, from one or more rules databases, playback rules and mayreceive from the database(s) a playback rules list. At 1010, the mediacontent processing system may request, from one or more rules databases,reporting rules and may receive from the database(s) a reporting ruleslist. The validation, distribution, playback, and reporting rules listsmay be used to determine the appropriate use of, and payment for, thetracks/titles used in the mix/remix. At 1012, the media contentprocessing system may request, from the media content database(s), thecreation of private metadata, which includes the various rules lists,and which pertains to the uploaded mix/remix. It may also receiveconfirmation of the creation of such private metadata. At 1014, themedia content processing system may request, from the media contentdatabase(s), the creation of public metadata, which includes the variousrules lists, and which pertains to the uploaded mix/remix. It may alsoreceive confirmation of the creation of such public metadata.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example flow diagram 1100 of techniques formanaging rules associated with segments in the media content inaccordance with various embodiments. The media content processing systemmay perform rule ingestion to create rules and apply the rules in orderto determine what asset rights (e.g., copyrights, licensing rights:composition, recording, performance, etc.) are associated with theidentified segments of UGC media content. In some embodiments, the mediacontent processing system may create and maintain its own centralizedregistry of media content and the associated rights holders. In otherembodiments, the media content processing system may be operativelycoupled to and in communication with an external entity having such adatabase of media content, for example, a governmental copyrightdatabase, or an independently operated database or media contentprovider (e.g., publishers, labels, etc.). At 1102, one or more rulesmay be created, and they may be stored by the media content processingsystem in the one or more media content databases, and/or the one ormore rules databases. Such rules may be created using a rules userinterface and an API, which may each be a part of the media contentprocessing system. At 1104, one or more rules may be listed or browsedby using the media content processing system to retrieve such rules fromthe one and/or more media content databases, and/or the one or morerules databases. Such rules may be listed and/or browsed using a rulesuser interface and an API, which may each be a part of the media contentprocessing system. At 1106, one or more rules may be updated by usingthe media content processing system to replace such rules in the oneand/or more media content databases, and/or the one or more rulesdatabases. Such rules may be updated using a rules user interface and anAPI, which may each be a part of the media content processing system. At1108, one or more rules may be deleted using the media contentprocessing system to remove such rules from the one and/or more mediacontent databases, and/or the one or more rules databases. Such rulesmay be deleted using a rules user interface and an API, which may eachbe a part of the media content processing system.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example flow diagram of techniques for providingan asset estimate associated with segments in media content inaccordance with various embodiments. The media content processing systemmay generate reports and an asset estimate, which defines the paymentplan for the DJ to obtain the asset rights associated with the segmentsof their UGC media content (e.g., mix/remix). An asset estimate mayinclude a payment plan for obtaining licensing rights or for royaltiesto use segments of UGC media content owned by other rights holders. Insome embodiments, an asset estimate may be based on a length of thesegment(s). In other embodiments, royalty payment may be based onwhether an associated segment of UGC media content is actually played.For example, a rights holder may receive royalty payments only for thelength of the segment of the UGC media content that is played. However,if their segment(s) of the UGC media content are not actually played byusers, then the rights holder may receive a minimal or no royaltypayment or other asset payment. At 1202, a music service (e.g., a DSP)may report, using an API, to the media content processing system, usageof UGC media content (e.g. mix/remix) by a consumer of the UGC mediacontent. At 1204, the report may be stored using one or more mediacontent databases, and a confirmation of the storage of the report maybe sent to the media content processing system. At 1206, a music service(e.g., a DSP) may make a request, using an API, for the creation of ausage and payment report. At 1208, the media content processing systemmay retrieve the usage (e.g., an aggregate of the usage reported at1202) from the one or more media content databases. At 1210, the mediacontent processing system may create a usage report and store it in oneor more reports databases (which may be a part of the media contentdatabase(s)), and may receive confirmation of the creation of the usagereport. At 1212, the media content processing system may create apayment report and store it in one or more reports databases (which maybe a part of the media content database(s)), and may receiveconfirmation of the creation of the payment report. At 1214, a user,such as a DJ or an administrator, may request from the media contentprocessing system a payment report via an API, and may receive such areport. At 1216, the request for the payment report may be forwarded toone or more reports databases, and the payment report may be retrievedto be forwarded to the user.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow diagram 1300 of acomputer-implemented technique of processing media content in accordancewith various embodiments. At 1302, UGC media content may be received,e.g., from one or more sources. At 1304, one or more segments of the UGCmedia content may be identified by looking up the segments in the mediacontent database(s). This may involve performing a scan of the UGC mediacontent over a period of time, detecting one or more fingerprints of thescan (e.g., acoustic or textual fingerprints), comparing the one or morefingerprints to data in the media content database(s), and identifyingthe one or more segments of media content based in part on thefingerprint(s) matching the data in the media content database(s). At1306, at least one asset (e.g., a media license or other IntellectualProperty asset), associated with the identified one or more segments ofmedia content, may be determined based on the looking up the segments inmedia content database(s). At 1308, an asset estimate may be computedfor the at least one asset associated with the identified one or moresegments of the UGC media content. The asset estimate may be indicativeof a value of the asset, and it may be based on an average media contentlength. In particular, the asset estimate may be based on the durationof the identified one or more segments of the UGC media content dividedby the average media content (e.g., song/track/title) length. Inaddition, computing the asset estimate may include determining a numberof times that the identified one or more segments of the media contenthas been played based on information in a report generated where theidentified one or more segments of the media content are played. Thereport may be generated based on a business model including one or moreof a per stream model, a per-user model, and a revenue share model. At1310, the asset estimate may be provided to the one or more sources ofmedia content.

As discussed above, the various embodiments can be implemented in a widevariety of operating environments, which in some cases can include oneor more user computers, computing devices, or processing devices whichcan be used to operate any of a number of applications. User or clientdevices can include any of a number of general purpose personalcomputers, such as desktop or laptop computers running a standardoperating system, as well as cellular, wireless, and handheld devicesrunning mobile software and capable of supporting a number of networkingand messaging protocols. Such a system also can include a number ofworkstations running any of a variety of commercially-availableoperating systems and other known applications for purposes such asdevelopment and database management. These devices also can includeother electronic devices, such as dummy terminals, thin-clients, gamingsystems, and other devices capable of communicating via a network.

Various aspects also can be implemented as part of at least one serviceor Web service, such as may be part of a service-oriented architecture.Services such as Web services can communicate using any appropriate typeof messaging, such as by using messages in extensible markup language(XML) format and exchanged using an appropriate protocol such as SOAP(derived from the “Simple Object Access Protocol”). Processes providedor executed by such services can be written in any appropriate language,such as the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). Using a languagesuch as WSDL allows for functionality such as the automated generationof client-side code in various SOAP frameworks.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS, and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combination thereof.

In embodiments utilizing a Web server, the Web server can run any of avariety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers, and businessapplication servers. The server(s) also may be capable of executingprograms or scripts in response requests from user devices, such as byexecuting one or more Web applications that may be implemented as one ormore scripts or programs written in any programming language, such asJava®, C, C# or C++, or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python, orTCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) may also includedatabase servers, including without limitation those commerciallyavailable from Oracle®, Microsoft®, Sybase®, and IBM®.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of embodiments, the informationmay reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilledin the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers, or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat may be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one processor (central processing unit, CPU), at leastone input device (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch screen, orkeypad), and at least one output device (e.g., a display device,printer, or speaker). Such a system may also include one or more storagedevices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices, and solid-statestorage devices such as random-access memory (“RAM”) or read-only memory(“ROM”), as well as removable media devices, memory cards, flash cards,etc.

Such devices also can include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device, etc.), and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a computer-readable storagemedium, representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storagedevices as well as storage media for temporarily and/or more permanentlycontaining, storing, transmitting, and retrieving computer-readableinformation. The system and various devices also typically will includea number of software applications, modules, services, or other elementslocated within at least one working memory device, including anoperating system and application programs, such as a client applicationor Web browser. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments mayhave numerous variations from that described above. For example,customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements mightbe implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, suchas applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devicessuch as network input/output devices may be employed.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memoryor other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed bythe a system device. Based on the disclosure and teachings providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other waysand/or methods to implement the various embodiments.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for processingmedia content, comprising: receiving media content from a source;identifying one or more segments of the media content via a lookup ofthe one or more segments of the media content in a content database;determining at least one asset associated with the identified one ormore segments of the media content based at least in part on the lookup;determining one or more rules associated with distribution of the atleast one asset; determining a clearance policy associated with the oneor more rules; determining a level of compliance with the clearancepolicy permits distribution of the at least one asset; computing anasset estimate for the at least one asset associated with the identifiedone or more segments of the media content; and providing the assetestimate to the source of the media content.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining one or more rightsholders associated with the identified one or more segments.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: determiningone or more use territories for the at least one asset; and computingthe asset estimate based, at least in part, on the one or more useterritories.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining one or more rules associated with the clearancepolicy; and determining distribution of the media content satisfies theone or more rules.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4,wherein satisfying the one or more rules comprises: exceeding athreshold level of compliance with the one or more rules.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the threshold level ofcompliance is less than full compliance with the one or more rules. 7.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least oneasset is a license.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: performing a scan of the media content over a periodof time; detecting a fingerprint of the scan; comparing the fingerprintof the scan to data in the content database; and identifying the one ormore segments of the media content based at least in part on thefingerprint of the scan matching the data in the content database.
 9. Asystem, comprising: at least one processor; and memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe system to: receive media content from a source; identify one or moresegments of the media content via a lookup of the one or more segmentsof the media content in a content database; determine at least one assetassociated with the identified one or more segments of the media contentbased at least in part on the lookup; determine one or more rulesassociated with distribution of the at least one asset; determine aclearance policy associated with the one or more rules; determine alevel of compliance with the clearance policy permits distribution ofthe at least one asset; compute an asset estimate for the at least oneasset associated with the identified one or more segments of the mediacontent; and provide the asset estimate to the source of the mediacontent.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, furthercause the system to: determine one or more rights holders associatedwith the identified one or more segments.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the atleast one processor, further cause the system to: determine one or moreuse territories for the at least one asset; and compute the assetestimate based, at least in part, on the one or more use territories.12. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory storing instructions that,when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the systemto: determine one or more rules associated with the clearance policy;and determine distribution of the media content satisfies the one ormore rules.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein satisfying the one ormore rules comprises exceeding a threshold level of compliance with theone or more rules.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the thresholdlevel of compliance is less than full compliance with the one or morerules.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one asset is alicense.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, furthercause the system to: performing a scan of the media content over aperiod of time; detecting a fingerprint of the scan; comparing thefingerprint of the scan to data in the content database; and identifyingthe one or more segments of the media content based at least in part onthe fingerprint of the scan matching the data in the content database.17. A method comprising: receiving media content; identifying one ormore segments of the media content via a lookup of the one or moresegments of the media content in a content database; determining acompliance status with respect to one or more clearance policies, theone or more clearance policies including one or more rules associatedwith distribution restrictions, wherein the compliance statuscorresponds to a level of compliance with the one or more rules;determining the compliance status is below a threshold level ofcompliance with the one or more rules; and providing instructionsassociated with the one or more rules to cause the compliance status tomeet or exceed the threshold level of compliance.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: determining at least one business modelassociated with the identified one or more segments of the mediacontent; and computing royalty payment amounts based at least in part onthe determined at least one business model.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein the at least one business model includes at least one of a perstream model, a per user model, and a revenue share model.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the threshold level of compliance is lessthan total compliance with the one or more rules.